Monday, September 16, 2013

New Stake in Italy

Yesterday the Church created its second stake in Rome from a portion of the original Rome Italy Stake and the Napoli Italy and Sardegna Italy Districts. The Rome Italy West Stake includes the following five wards and seven branches: The Cagliari, Caserta, Ladispoli, Roma 1st, and Roma 4th Wards and the Battipaglia, Castellammare, Flegreo, Napoli, Olbia, Oristano, and Sassari Branches. The realigned Rome Italy Stake was renamed the Rome Italy East Stake and includes the following five wards and two branches: The Pescara, Roma 2nd, Roma 3rd, Roma 6th, and Terni Wards and the L'Aquila and Roma 5th Branches. The creation of the new stake was primarily made possible due to strong active membership and congregational growth within the original Rome Italy Stake (organized in 2005). The Roma 6th Ward, for example, was created from the Roma 3rd Ward; a ward that split just last year to form the Roma 5th Branch. It is likely that additional branches in both stakes will mature into wards within the foreseeable future. See below for a map of LDS units in the Italy Rome Mission.

The third stake in Paris, the Paris France South stake has been created last sunday, and has 5 wards (Antony, Évry, Le Mans, Melun, Orléans) and 5 branches (Alençon, Blois, Bourges, Chartres and Tours).

The Angers France stake became the Rennes France stake and absorbed the Lorient district to be able to become/remain a stake with 5 wards (Angers, Cholet, La Rochelle, Nantes and Rennes) and 7 branches (Brest, Cherbourg, Lorient, Quimper, Saint Brieuc, Saint Nazaire and Vannes).

The Limoges ward and the Poitier branch who were in the Angers stake became part of the Bordeaux France stake.

So the Lorient district didn't help at all. Not one of the six branches became a ward. I thought La Rochelle ward should have gone to Bordeaux as well and LeMans should have been stayed with Rennes. Just a real let down when the orginal headline was that two stakes were to result from the conference.

There are 61 wards and 46 branches in France. They are in the following stakes:

Bordeaux France Stake: 6 French wards and 7 French branchesLille France Stake: 6 French wards and 4 French branchesLyon France Stake: 7 French wards and 1 French branchNancy France Stake: 4 French wards and 5 French branchesNice France Stake: 6 French wards and 5 French branchesParis France East Stake: 7 French wards and 3 French branchesParis France South Stake: 5 French wards and 5 French branchesParis France Stake: 6 French wards and 2 French branchesRennes France Stake: 5 French wards and 7 French branchesToulouse France Stake: 6 French wards and 4 French branchesGeneva Switzerland Stake: 2 French wards and 2 French branchesLausanne Switzerland Stake: 1 French wards and 1 French branch

The Nancy stake also includes the Luxembourg Ward, so it has the required 5 wards as well.

The branches do contribute to the requirements for creation of a stake. Their membership counts toward the total membership requirement. Also, active, full-tithe-paying, Melchizedek Priesthood holders (in excess of the 4-6 required for a branch in a stake) count toward the 24 required for the stake in excess of the number required for wards and branches.

My stake at one point had a branch with 1 Melchizedek priesthood holder, period. They called two couples from elsewhere as stake missionaires there and made the husbands counselors in the branch presidency.

On the Rennes Stake, some branches may be close to becoming wards. Plus, with them in a stake they have easier access to a patriarch, relieve the mission president from doing temple recommend interviews for the members there and some other things. The second one may be a big concern with missions in many places having doubled the number of missionaries. While the surge lasts there are reasons to make it so mission presidents can concentrate on their elevated number of missionaries.

Also, some branches may be close to being wards. Not having them have to also provide the leadership for the district may allow them to be wards sooner.

The post declares that "The Roma 6th Ward, for example, was created from the Roma 3rd Ward; a ward that split just last year to form the Roma 5th Branch."

I would like to rectify that the Roma 6th Ward was created from the Roma <2nd> Ward, but since September 2016 it has been reunited with the 2nd Ward, and so it no longer exists. Also, the Roma 5th Branch is now a ward (but I cannot remember when the change occurred).

Stakes and Districts Discontinued in 2018

About Me

My interest in researching the growth of the LDS Church began in 2002. I began this blog in late 2007 to provide a forum to discuss LDS growth developments and share information. I have also worked for The Cumorah Foundation since 2009 providing research assistance and resource development on LDS growth and missionary work. Since this time I have been interviewed by various media organizations and have co-authored with David Stewart our comprehensive work Reaching the Nations: International Church Growth Almanac: 2014 Edition. I have a masters degree in psychology and a doctorate degree in clinical psychology.